This proposed project will improve foundational knowledge of the impacts and efficacy of mesquitetreatments and so increase the potential for their contribution to the conservation of lesser…

This proposed project will improve foundational knowledge of the impacts and efficacy of mesquitetreatments and so increase the potential for their contribution to the conservation of lesser prairie-chickens(LPC, tympanuchus pallidicinctus) and other declining grassland species in the BLM pecos district insoutheastern new mexico. We will use a combination of outreach with grazing permittees, coordinationwith partners, and monitoring to collect and communicate information about the effectiveness of mesquitetreatments for multiple audiences (e.g., partners, permittees, public). Ultimately, this coordination, monitoring, and communication effort will increase understanding of how treatments are contributing tothe recovery of lpcs and other grassland species, where restoration and management can be mosteffective for creating and maintaining grassland cores, and build support for such actions amongstakeholders. This proposed project will contribute to the following administration and DOI priorities:administration: executive order 13985: advancing racial equity and support for underservedcommunities through the federal governmentdoi: centering equity and environmental justice.as a component of this project, we will ensure that considerations of equity are integrated in ourengagement by integrating social science based approaches to understand the diversity of peoplethat live and work in our project region. We will use this understanding to develop culturallyappropriate messages and outreach strategies.administration: executive order 14008: tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad: section 216:conserving our nations lands and watersdoi:working to conserve at least 30 each of our lands and waters by the year 2030.this project will evaluate the effectiveness of treatments to conserve grassland and improveconditions for grassland birds. In addition, models of mesquite cover will allow BLM andpartners to evaluate where treatments to remove mesquite have been effective and to target futuretreatments to expand areas of high quality grassland. This project will contribute monitoring, coordination, communication and outreach capacity to themesquite removal project that BLM is implementing in the pecos district. We will use imbcr birdsampling protocols to measure grassland bird response to shortgrass prairie and shinnery-OAK habitatrestoration at select project sites in eastern new mexico and so demonstrate how honey mesquiteremoval, in areas where IT is encroaching into native habitat, influences the abundance of grassland birds. We will work with BLM and other partners to update a popular and useful vegetation model that estimatespercent cover of honey mesquite in the BLM pecos district. This model is used in planning treatmentlocations of herbicide treatment for mesquite removal. We will use the monitoring data and the vegetationmodel in a communication strategy to build interest, support, and collective action for mesquite removalin the BLM pecos district and in regions affected by honey mesquite encroachment more generally. This project benefits the public through increased awareness of the performance of conservation practicesfor increasing the populations of priority bird species. We will describe and communicate our findings toincrease the general publics understanding of the impacts of mesquite encroachment on birds of concernand game birds, as well as restoration practices that benefit these wildlife populations. BLM receivesbenefit by gaining a better understanding of the impacts of their restoration work on wildlife as well asaccurate models of mesquite cover for planning and targeting future restoration treatments. In addition, this project will help coordinate implementation and communicate to increase in the publicsunderstanding of the impacts of mesquite treatments on bird communities will increase their support for, and interest in, such management.